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A brief rundown of my allowance history:
Probably started getting it around age 7 (circa 1982). I got about $2/week provided I did my short list of chores (make my bed, set the table, etc.). Each chore I didn't do saw 10cents subtracted from the total. So instead of having to earn the money via chores, it was mine to lose unless I got lazy.
Starting in Jr. High I got a regular allowance (I think something like $10/week) that wasn't attached to any specific regiment of chores. Instead, I was expected to help out when asked. I didn't get any extra money for mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. Some weeks I pretty much got it for nothing, others (like when it snowed 3 feet overnight or I mowed the lawn in 100 degree heat) I more than earned it.
By high school (1988-92) I was closer to $20/week but was expected to pay for my own gas/entertainment/etc. I never went to Dad and said "I'm going to the movies, can I have some money?" I had to budget my allowance to do what I wanted to do (and had a few embarassing moments where I asked a girl on a date on Monday but was broke by the weekend...)
As the things I wanted/needed got more expensive, my Dad implemented a "fund matching" deal. For example, in 10th grade the 10 speed bike I got when I was 13 was a little small so I wanted to get a new mountain bike. The one I wanted was about $300, so my Dad said that if I saved up $200 towards it, he would pay for the rest. Same went for a few other things that he saw as practical (in other words he didn't help out buying the $400 stereo speakers, etc.)
So, yeah, there you go. FWIW...
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"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel
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